“Don’t Mix Well”: Tara Davis-Woodhall’s Husband Hunter Left Miserable After Putting Himself in the Long Jumper’s Shoes

Hunter Woodhall, with five Paralympic medals to his name, including a shiny new gold from the Paris Paralympics, is nothing short of a track and field legend. It’s a well-earned spotlight for someone who’s worked tirelessly to get there, and now he’s sharing the glory with his equally accomplished wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall. But don’t be fooled by the glamour—it’s been far from an easy sprint to the top.

Born with a congenital birth defect called fibular hemimelia, Hunter had both legs amputated before his first birthday. Instead of holding him back, it became the starting line for a remarkable journey. With his prosthetic legs, he’s raced to Paralympic glory. But even for someone as unstoppable as Hunter, life with prosthetics isn’t without its challenges—like that one time he tried long jumping just like Tara. Spoiler alert: it didn’t exactly go as planned.

Hunter Woodhall struggles to replicate Tara Davis Woodhall’s stunts

On December 11th, Hunter Woodhall gave his Instagram followers a hilarious and all-too-relatable glimpse into the chaos of mixing prosthetics with sand. Captioned “Prosthetics and sand don’t mix well,” the video captured the aftermath of his attempt to try standing long jumps in the sandpit—an ode to his Olympic gold-winning, long-jumping wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall. While his actual jumping skills weren’t showcased, the cleanup scene spoke volumes.

Hunter’s prosthetic legs weren’t exactly sandpit-friendly. After three jumps, the sand had infiltrated every possible crevice of his prosthetics and socks, leaving him visibly annoyed. “I just did a standing long jump into the sand pit, and it was after three jumps,” he explained while pouring out sand.

Tara, watching her husband’s plight, gasped and teasingly chimed in with, “Oh, God.” But her usual banter was dialed back when she saw the struggle was real, saying instead, “I would say welcome to the life, but that’s like a little bit extreme.”

Clearly, this wasn’t Hunter Woodhall’s first skirmish with sand. As he emptied his sandy socks, he deadpanned, “And you wonder why I don’t like the beach,” proving once again that humor is his secret weapon. While his prosthetics excel on the track, sand seems to be their kryptonite—but hey, when you’ve got five Olympic medals and a gold from Paris, a little sand in the socks doesn’t stand a chance of slowing you down.

The Paralympians struggles during childhood

While today Hunter Woodhall is a Paralympic gold medalist, making his weakness his biggest strength, this was not always the case. The athlete struggled a lot during his childhood, as he was a subject of bullying during his schooling. This was terrible for a child who already had so much on his plate at that age. Many would have struggled to live with it. However, Hunter didn’t let these problems affect him too much.

Hunter Woodhall’s immense self-belief didn’t just pop up overnight—it was instilled in him from a young age, thanks to a little tough love from his mom. Even as a kid, when things seemed nearly impossible, she was there pushing him to find another way.

Hunter recalled a moment from his childhood in a Threads post: “When I was trying to learn how to ride a bike as a kid with no legs, I would cry and say, “I can’t do it.’” My mom would always calmly tell me, “It’s not that you can’t do it; it’s just that you’ll have to find another way to.” Creativity is a superpower; you just have to believe in yourself. You got this.””

Those words stuck with him, echoing in every race and jump, helping him push past obstacles on and off the track. Despite the challenges of his childhood, it’s clear that Hunter’s mom taught him more than just how to keep going—she taught him how to thrive. And thrive he did, becoming a champion with not just a gold medal but the mindset to conquer anything that comes his way.